Last.



L. E. JOHNSON.

LAST.

APPLICATION F|LnJuNE1.19\4.

Patented.. May 2, 1916.

t1 nlrnn eraan 1 i r cierren.

LAWRENCE E. JOHNSON, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ELLERY C..

I WRIGHT, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

`Patented May 2, 191th?.

Application filed .Tune 1, 1914. Serial No. 841,996.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE E. Jol-InsoN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Lasts, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is an improvement in hinged last construction, and has for its object to provide a very strong, simple, cheap and effective hinge and spring lock device with both the hinge and spring acting from the same pivotal position.

In the manufacture of hinged lasts it is customary to provide a spring between the forepart and the heel part, which is ordinarily fitted in special sockets provided therefor in both heel and forepart, to normally tend to force the two parts in extended positionwithout any regard to the pivotal relation of the hinge unitingthe forepart and heel part. By my present invention I have devised a hinged last with a spring member which'isintended to normally forceV the last into its vextended posi` ftion, so as to act on the two parts of the last from the pivotal center on which said two parts are arranged to hinge, and in this manner I am enabled to secure a firm, even, and uniform bearing tension at all times upon the pivot or hinge connecting the forepart and heel part. Y

A further object of thepresent invention is to provide an automatic spring lock which will hold the forepart and heel part of a hinged -last in their extended position and tend to hold or lock the same yieldinglyl in such position, requiring a very considerable elfort at the initiation ofthe flexing or breaking movement to bend the last on its hinge, and which will, after the flexing is started, permit the further bending easily and without special resistance. rThis feature is of special importance, and I prefer to utilize one part ofthe novel form of spring which I have devised, to constitute the locking device and whichwill necessitate the extra effort at the initiation of the flexing or breaking of the last.` I also prefer to have this locking device, which may be automatically thrown out by an extra effort, to be formed as a double metallic bearing between the hinge member and the spring member.

Other features of the invention, novel combinations of parts and important advantages will be hereinafter pointed out and claimed. m

,Referring to the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure l is a side view of my novel hinge last; Fig. Q is a plan view, partly in section; Fig' is a cross sectional view of the hinge portion, with the last in extended position; and Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view, showing the last when flexed or broken.

I. may apply my novel type of hinge and spring member to any suitable style or form of two-part'last, my improved last having the important feature of requiring but a minimum of cutting of the wood to lit both the hinge and spring members. Therefore my present invention is peculiarly applicable to the type of lasts at present in general use, having a very high thin coneat the'heel and an equally narrow crown in the forepart. kIn Vlasts of this type especially, it is importantthat as little wood be'removed to allow for the hinge and spring members,

as is possible, in order to avoid the danger of weakening the last sections too greatly.

lmit of the iiexing of the last. A vertical kerf or saw cut is made in the forepart and the heel part at 6 and 7 respectively, to receive a vertical hinge member 8, which member extends into both the forepart and heelpart, being preferably rigidly secured to the heel part by two pins 9 and 10, and pivotally secured to the forepart by the pin 11. This construction permits the heel part and forepart to be swung relatively on the pin 11, the adjacent faces of leach part on the line of cut 3 and the distance between the secant faces 4 and 5 permitting this swinging action, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. About the pin 11 I secure a spring 12, with a single turn around the pivot on either side of the hinged plate 8,

TOO

ll D

n tioned arm 13.

the hinge plate 8 to thel pin on the other side of said plate, where a second turn is taken around the pin and the other end or arm 15 of the spring is leftito bear against the heel part in a similar position on the other side of the plate 8 to that of the first men- In order to provide a proper seat for this spring 12 and for each of the arms thereof, I may recess the seeant faces 4 and 5 slightly, as indicated at 16 and 17 (see'Figs. 2 and 3). to provide a specialbearing for the spring member on the forepart, as by looping the same, as illustrated at 18, thus giving a double bearing at either'side of the hinge Yplate 8, directly on the forepart at 19.

These loops 18 and the free arms 13 and 15 will, of course, act to expand the two parts of the last into extended position, withthe pin 11 both as the fulcrum for the spring and as the pivotal point on which the two parts swing.

In order to provide the automatic locking feature for the last when in extended position, I prefer to curve the doubled part of the spring member 14 baekwardly, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and Ato form on the plate 8 a recess 20 in such position that the rearwardly extended portion 14 of the spring will` act to catch therein, when the last is in extended position. The recess 20 is provided with a substantially vertical bearing face against which the doubled end 14 of the spring 12 is seated,VV in contact therewith when the forepart and heel part are extended. This construction gives a spring locking device which tends to prevent the flexing of the last until a considerable effort is exerted thereon, and may constitute .as positive and rigid a loclras maybe desired by increasing the strength!) of the spring. Preferably, however, the recess 20 is so formed that when la considerable breaking pressure is applied, the doubled end 14 will snap upwardly over the edge ofthe recess and slide backwardly there over', as illustrated in Fig. 4', permitting the rest of the exing movement to be easily eected. It should be noted that the locking part 14 of the spring has its own separate spring coils entirely independent of the coils of the spring 12 `about the pivot 11. The latter exerts the expansible tension from the arms 13 and 15 on the heel part to the faces 16 in the forepart, by the contact therewith of the loops 18. The locking part 14 of the spring gets its tension from the loops or coils 18 and from the position of the loops and the curve of the frame from the loop to the recess 30 in the hinge plate. This construction gives such strength and pliability to a hinge last that the pivot pin 11 may be lowered considerably more than is now customary, without danger of the last 'collapsing in use, and thus vgain a I also prefer quicker shortening of the two parts when flexed on the hinge.

It will be readily appreciated that the construction herein described is very simple, cheap, and economical to manufacture, as well as eliicient in providing a combined spring and locking arrangement. Furthermore the important advantage of having a double spring effect in each arm of the spring gives long life to such spring, and consequently to the last. A still further advantage is that, as illustrated in Fig. 4, when the last is flexed or broken, and the doubled end 14 of the spring slides along the top of the hinge plate 8. this top and the spring are so formed as to friotionally hold the forepart and heel part of the last in flexed position.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A last having a forepart and a heel part hinged together, a hinge plate rigidly secured to one part and pivotally secured to the other part, Vand a spring member also secured to the hinge pintle in the same pivotal position as the plate and coperating with said plate to hold the last under a locking tension when in extended position and requiring a strong flexing movement to over* come the locking action at the initiation of said flexing movement.

2. A last having a forepart and a heel parthinged together, a hinge plate rigidly secured to the heel part and a pivot pin for securing it to the forepart, said hinge plate having a recess therein,- and a spring coiled about said pivot pin and having a portion arranged for spring locking engagement with the recess in said hinge plate and hav-t ing bearing portions on the wood of both forepart and heel part at both sides of the hinge plate.

3. A last having a forepart and a heel part hinged together, a hinge plate rigidly secured to the heel part and a pivot pin for securing it to the forepart, said hinge plate having a recess therein, and a spring coiled about said pivot pin to exert expansive action and having a doubled end portion arranged for yielding locking engagement with the recess in said hinge plate and having a separate tension coil to exert the locking tension.

4. A last having a forepart and a heel part hinged together, a hinge plate rigidly secured to one part and a pivot pin for securing it to the other part, and a spring member to hold said last extended also secured in the same pivotal position as the plate and having a portion independent of that partvof the spring which acts to expand the last and cooperating with said plate to hold the last yieldingly locked when in extended position and requiring a strong {lexllO - ment.

5. A last having a forepart and a heel part hinged together, a vertical hinge plate rigidly secured to the heel part and a pivot pin for securing it to the forepart, said hinge plate having a locking recess in its uppermost portion, a spring coiled about said pivot pin and having a doubled end portion arranged adjacent the recess in said hinge plate and having bearing portions on the Wood of both orepart and heel part at both sides of the hinge plate, said spring having its doubled portion curved back- Wardly to eil'ect a substantial locking engagement With the recess in the hinge plate When the last is in extended position.

G. A last having a forepart and a heel part hinged together', a vertical hinge plate rigidly secured to the heel part and a pivot pin for securing it to the orepart, said hinge plate having a locking recess in its uppermost portion, a spring coiled about said pivot pin to exert expansive action on the last parts, and having an extension arranged adjacent the recess in said hingeplate and a separate spring coil for said extension, said extension being curved backvvardly to effect a substantial locking engagement With the recess in the hinge plate When the last is in extended position.

7. A last having a forepartand a heel part hinged together, a hinge plate rigidly secured to the heel part and pivotally secured to the forepart, said hinge plate having a recess therein, and a spring coiled about said pivot pin to exert expansive action and having a doubled end portion arranged for yielding locking engagement With the recess in said hinge plate and having a separate tension coil to exert the locking tension, said separate tension coil having a bearing on the Wood of the orepart between the pivot pin and said recess.

8. A last having a forepart and a heel part hinged together, a hinge plate rigidly secured to the heel part and pivotally secured to the orepart, said hinge plate having a recess therein, and a spring coiled about said pivot pin to exert expansive action and having a doubled end portion arranged for yielding locking engagement with the recess in said hinge plate and having a separate tension coil to exert the locking tension, said separate tension coil having a bearing on the Wood of the forepart above the pivot pin and approximately opposite the recess in said hinge plate.

9. A last having a forepart and a heel part hinged together, a vertical hinge plate rigidly secured to the heel part and pivotally secured to the forepart, said hinge plate having a locking recess in its uppermost portion, and a spring coiled about said pivot pin and having a doubled end portion arranged adjacent the recess in said hinge plate and having bearing portions on the Wood of' both forepart and heel part at both sides of the hinge plate, said spring having its doubled portion curved backvvardly to effect a substantial locking engagement with the recess in the hinge plate when the last is in extended position, the recess engaging doubled end portion of said spring coils at its bearing portions on the Wood each side of the hinge plate.

10. A last having a forepart and a heel part hinged together, a hinge plate rigidly secured to the heel part and pivotally secured to the forepart, said hinge plate having a recess therein, and a spring coiled about said pivot pin and having a portion arranged for tilt spring locking engagement With the recess LAWRENCE E. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. HODDER, R. J. HERSEY.

@oplet of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente, Washington, D. C. 

